Urban growth in the Philippines faces both a looming crisis and a potential solution.
In a country burdened with polluted and congested urban centers, about half of its population—50 million Filipinos—now lives in cities. But that's expected to rise to 70 percent of the nation, or 90 million people, by 2030. Almost one-fourth of Filipino urbanites reside in the sprawling capital of Manila, one of the densest cities in the world.
Yet just 60 miles (97 kilometers) from Manila, the Clark Green City project aims to turn a former U.S. military base into the country's first sustainable city—and a model for others to come.
“Our vision is a metropolis that will be a benchmark for urban development in the Philippines,” Arnel Casanova, president of the project sponsor—state-run agency the Bases Conversion and Development Authority—told The Wall Street Journal.
Launched last year and set to be complete in 2019, the first phase covers 1,321 hectares (5 square miles) and will cost US$1.35 billion, most of it private investment. The following two phases of the 9,450-hectare (36-square-mile) city will be completed over the next five decades. Powered by renewable energy facilities, the new city promises to generate US$36 billion in annual output, or about 4 percent of the GDP.
To get there, project leaders will need to secure the buy-in of myriad stakeholders. Real-estate professionals have expressed skepticism about such a large-scale ecologically sustainable project that has never before been attempted in the Philippines. Area farmers also have voiced their criticism.
For all stakeholders, Mr. Casanova added, the project's benefits will have to be better communicated. “Once they know what is going on, they'll have full confidence in the project,” he said. —M. Wright